?????

It seems like forever since I have written any updates on the kids. Especially since I used to write every night.

Justin has 2 new teeth, 1 upper right molar (will be right next to a canine) and 1 lower left molar (again it will be right next to a canine). He still hops & scoots everywhere. However, he stands at length and will walk the length of most anything, holding on of course. Today he started letting go of things to stand unassisted and balance himself. He thought it was exciting. Still no real 'talking'. Lots of babbling and he can repeat back quite a few words, most of which you wouldn't understand. One exception, when he yells "Da!" Everyone knows he is yelling for daddy. He has been big with the "Uh-Oh" since around his 1st b-day. He is still a very big solid food eater. Doesn't turn down much of anything. I noticed a few days ago that while he was playing w/a ball and throwing it at a basketball hoop (which is way to big for him but thats what he sees everyone else do) he would raise both hands in the air and make sounds like he was cheering for himself. Very funny! And he regularly throws temper tantrums. He will throw himself backwards onto whatever is close, or throw himself to the floor. Nice!

Austin has decided his new pretend play thing is 'Dino's". I have no idea where it came from, but he made it up and wants daddy to play with him regularly. I am not even sure he really knows what he makes up from day to day, he is just thrilled when someone plays along and makes up things with him. He can be so pleasant and appreciative and mannerly that I am shocked at his '2 year old' behavior he regularly displays (ok, not really shocked, just in awe of the 2 seemingly different kids that live in one little body). He thinks he is a big boy now. He can put his own shoes on mostly by himself (the velcro ones), and he loves to put his slip on ones himself and his own socks too. To the point that trying to get out the door takes longer. But I know its for the best. He has been doing really good not wearing a diaper to bed at night. Only couple of accidents, including last night. It was actually this morning around 8:30am when he whispered to me in bed, "I pottied my diaper." to which I replied, "Your not wearing a diaper!" as I threw the cover off and ushered him off the bed and into the bathroom. Thank goodness the last time we had an accident I remembered to put a chux pad under the bottom sheet. Yeah!!

There are so many things I think I want to write about, but its late and I should try to go back to bed. Things like: there is to much yelling in this house so I have tried to make an effort to tell Austin its not nice to yell and mommy will try not to yell also, my step-sisters new born baby Jacoby and his life & death issues, and my own sinful nature that needs a super over-haul! Baby is crying!

Snow day!!

The boys had a BLAST in the snow late this afternoon. My biggest regret is that I didn't take them out sooner (and that I didn't have a fresh set of batteries to take pics). I was sure we would only be out 3-5 minutes. It was more like 30 min. Austin made his fist snow angel and Justin hopped-and-scooted his way off of the porch several times, one time into the flower beds. He even crawled all the way past my van and then hopped-and-scooted his way into a snow bank. I had so much fun watching them. The only crying we had was when Austin received 3 separate spankings for dumping snow on Justin 3 times. It will probably be to cold to go out again for at least a few days.

Christmas, New Years, 1st's & 3rd's

Christmas 2008










New Years Eve 2008
Each glass represents a person who made it to midnight. No glass for Matt or the 2 little boys, they were OUT! Aren't the frozen sugared grapes neat? Mom's idea, my technique. End result, yummy sparkling cider and juice!
















1st's--Justin's 1st hair cut and his first hair cut bribe! The thing was so big it barely fit into his mouth.















3rd's--That would be baby number 3 (or 4?) Do you see the 2 little tiny dots? They might represent 1 or 2 babies we are expecting in late July. My regular Dr. (NOT an O.B.) said I appeared to be further along than the 'pregnancy' calendar said, so she joked that I might be having twins. What a laugh! Not! OR, the picture below could just be a bad picture of the one that immediately follows it. :)











Cedar Falls in Hiram/Garrettsville Ohio. The weekend we went out of town to get Justin's 1 yr. pics taken my uncle took us out to a rest. that used to be a wool mill and then a griss mill. It was at night and our table is the only one you can see the falls at night w/lights on them. It was beautiful. My lame pic doesn't do it justice.












Silly pic of matt giving the kids a ride in the basement on an office chair. They thought it was great fun!










One night recently as I was in the kitchen making dinner, the boys had been playing everywhere, as is the norm. But for a few minutes I couldn't identify by sound what they were doing, so I went to check on them. I mean, there was no obvious laughter, crying, or bloody murder screaming. No sounds of Dora's book singing or the toy chainsaw buzzing. This was what I found. They were truly just chillin. It was very funny and cute and rare.

Not surprising....

Austin was more interested in the candy & fruit snacks (also candy in my book) that he received today than his new tidy-whities (just kidding, he only got sweaters), and Justin was more interested in the trash from the gifts. I can only hope and pray they will always be this easy to satisfy.

I forgot to post a week or so ago that Justin can climb our entire flight of stairs now. Great! NOT!!

Austin latest conversation piece deals with heaven. He will tell you that when he dies he will go to heaven to see Jesus. When you reply in any way, he then tells you he doesn't want to go to heaven. Then starts the conversation of why he really DOES want to go t heaven ONLY when he dies and so on and so forth. It never seems like what comes out of my mouth was clear to him. But when you start to make it TO simple for him, the true meaning is lost. And so, we will continue to have these "over his head" conversations for as long as he is interested, and eventually, it won't be so over his head. I have already realized he understands and picks up much more than I think, or wish sometimes. But this would be a good thing to "pick up".

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF OUR DEAR READERS (the 3 of you know who you are).

We're walking!!! Well, maybe....

Tonight Justin started standing behind a toy that you can push, and walking behind it. Daddy helped him a lot. Justin would begin by standing behind it and pushing it against the couch. Then daddy started moving it out to the middle of the room and Justin would take one or two steps and then drop to his knees and push it that way. But daddy persisted in picking him back up each time so that he would continue on his feet, and he would. After about ten tries he was able to push it the length of the laminate floor and carpet that daddy had decided was his course for the evening. What is so surprising to me is that I have been watching him closely as he pulls himself up onto everything...watching for any sign of shifting feet. And there has been very little. Until tonight.

Just some funny stuff.

This is an every day occurance. Justin empties out 1 cupboard of cereal and some other stuff, then moves on to the mixing bowl-filled cupboard to completely empty it out. This happens several times a day.













Do you recognize this Charlie Brown tree? Thanks to Mrs. Prince, we were able to enjoy this fun game, Decorate Your Dad Like A Christmas Tree, at Matt's family Christmas party this year. The kids have a blast, the dad's are very patient.

Another success!!

We call this Justin's 'hop & scoot' method of travel. THANK YOU GRANDPA GARY!!!